There is something to be said for taking some time our and spending it alone, being pampered. I love to mess around with face masks, cleaning and moisturisng my skin with store bought cleansers etc but some times you just need a little bit of a boost. Something to really clear the build up of daily grime, get deep into the pores and wake your skin up to its true potential again.

When I was kindly asked to work with Feminine Grace Beauty Parlour & School with regards to their Mother and Daughter days (Magic Moments), sampling treatments and generally being spoiled rotten, well, would you have said no?! Based in Hebburn, Feminine Grace is the only UK beauty school aimed at teaching children how to look after their own and others skin, teaching self care as well as providing a basis for a valuable occupation – everyone wants pampering don’t they!

I attended my first appointment last Wednesday and was relaxed from the moment I walked through the door. Walking up the stairs to the parlour which is on the top floor of a building also housing a restaurant and gym, the delicate sounds of classical music play and the light scent of candles waft through the entrance to welcome you.

The beauty school and parlour are set out in a very shabby chic style which appealed to my sense of decor straight away, the rose petal covered beds to the crystal chandeliers above each station, the cream ornate mirrors and piles of freshly fluffed white towels, it all just works together to bring a sense of peace and relaxation.

I was taken through to the separate parlour room which is set up with a bed in the middle of the room, huge armoire housing towels and skin care to one side and a nail station in the bay window. The bed was set out with petals at the foot and a origami towel swan (too cute!), there was a lovely warm glow to the room coming from a mobile heater which meant that getting semi undressed for the facial with neck, arm and hand massage was pleasant and not at all chilly as the weather outside should have dictated!

The facial we opted for was the Velvet Intensive Facial, starting with an exfoliation using peels that release serums into the skin. Considering the closest my face has had to a deep clean is store bought exfoliation creams I could certainly tell the difference with this peel as there was no scratching or harshness on my skin. The whole process was very pleasant and felt more like little tiny balls being moved over the surface of my skin – did you know exfoliation isnt meant to hurt?! Me either – I thought it meant it was a deep clean if it really scrubbed at my skin!

The next step was an Italian Iris Skin Cocktail which feeds the skin, combined with phytoessence oils which were deeply inhaled during application. The oils were CA – calming, VD – Draining and nurturing, ST – Stimulating and DT – Detox and each one smelled amazing – they seep into the blood stream too which means they have long lasting effects throughout the day. This massage was carried on to my neck, shoulders, arms and hands which was such a treat considering other places i have been for facials concentrate on the face and that is all!

To finish a mask was then applied to feed and nourish my skin – by this point i had almost become one with the table I was so relaxed. For more information on phytoessence visit the Olos Dibi site, there are also another 2 ranges, Fruitti di Bosco (Wild Fruits) and Nectar di Zucca (Pumpkin) which are suitable for different skin types.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMnnLcaqzR8&feature=youtu.be

My skin has never felt so soft and moisturised. Ever. Caroline explained that this is how skin is meant to feel all the time (which blew me away as I thought my skin was quite well looked after – obviously not!) The whole treatment lasted over 1 and a half hours which I think was a little over the standard time it takes due to me asking so many questions. Normally the process takes an hour and believe me it is an hour well spent! The oils that had seeped into my system made me relaxed and calm for the rest of the day and now i know what to do before i start my driving lessons too!

Next up on my adventures with Caroline and the Feminine Grace Beauty Parlour & School is a Magic Moments bonding day where we get to do each others make up, nails, learn how to do facials or make up etc – we get to pick what we would like to do so i will leave that one to Evie and I look forward to coming back and telling you all about it!